Cowlishaw: Playoffs still a longshot for Stars, but post-deadline surge showing future could be bright

5/19

Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer

Dallas Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski (33) looks to pass as Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23) defends during the first period of play at American Airlines Center in Dallas on April 9, 2013.

When they met here last April, the Stars and Kings
were different versions of the same thing — two teams just looking for a ticket
to the postseason party. For each, the world has changed since then.

The Los Angeles Kings found that ticket a year ago and became the first No. 8
seed to capture a Stanley Cup. A veteran team now — they suited up just one
rookie Tuesday night — the Kings are preparing for defense of their
championship.

They just had a hard time showing it Tuesday night in a 5-1 Stars victory at
American Airlines Center.

The Stars, even with three straight wins, are likely to be on the outside
looking in when the playoffs start at the end of the month. But Stars fans got a
glimpse of the future Tuesday as the team played its first home game since
dealing veterans Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy before last week’s trade
deadline.

And the future looked brighter than anticipated.

The Stars suited up four rookies, but they had eight players 25 or younger.
In fact, 15 of the 20 Dallas players were 29 or younger.

Since dealing Brenden Morrow, the Stars have been a team without a captain.
But at least they are no longer a team without direction.

They have only a sprinkling of older players mixed in now with their
considerable youth. Those veterans made their presence felt as Ray Whitney and
Vernon Fiddler each scored twice in a crazy third-period blitz of Kings goalie
Jonathan Quick.

(Note: Whitney turns 41 in May. Fiddler merely turns 33.)

The Stars’ three-game win streak against strong Pacific Division teams
(Ducks, Sharks, Kings) has come at a time when people expected Dallas to
disappear following last week’s trading frenzy. Instead, a young team has played
with an energy that coach Glen Gulutzan couldn’t coax out of this club 10 days
ago even when berating them.

Still, it’s betting against the odds to predict this run of good fortune to
carry this team into playing games in May. Learning on the fly will probably
cost this team a trip to the postseason, which although now familiar, remains a
tough price to pay.

Until the start of this dismal run in 2009, the Stars had never gone
back-to-back seasons without at least reaching the playoffs since their move to
Dallas in 1993. It will be five years and counting if Dallas doesn’t find a way
to run down the Detroit Red Wings for the final Western Conference spot in these
last nine games.

At least after Tuesday night catching a more experienced Detroit team doesn’t
sound quite so crazy.

Actually, if you envision the Stars beating Detroit in the final game of the
regular season here April 27, then Dallas would be dead even with the Wings for
that final spot.

Of course, Dallas faces not only a demanding schedule between now and then —
and the undisclosed injury suffered Tuesday by goaltender Kari Lehtonen could be
meaningful — but there are teams from Phoenix, Edmonton and Columbus trying to
stage the same improbable April rally as the Stars.

Dallas has only four home games remaining, but strangely enough in this
lockout-shortened season, the Stars have a better road record, anyway. They are
going to have to do some real damage in places like Chicago and St. Louis and
San Jose and Los Angeles in the next two weeks to have any chance of sneaking
into the playoff picture.

Regardless, GM Joe Nieuwendyk made the right call a week ago — with the
blessings of owner Tom Gaglardi — by avoiding the sports cliche that “the future
is now” and acknowledging that the future really is in the future.

Nieuwendyk acquired draft picks and defenseman prospects when he bid farewell
to Morrow and Jagr and Roy. This franchise is now stocked with both, which is
exactly what it needs.

The Stars’ 2014 playoff hopes already are more promising than this year’s.
But if the exuberance of youth just happens to keep propelling the Stars to wins
like the three they achieved against playoff-bound teams in the last five days,
there’s nothing wrong with that.

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About Tim Cowlishaw

Tim Cowlishaw has been The Dallas Morning News' lead sports columnist since July 1998. Prior to that he covered the Cowboys for six seasons and the Stars for three as a beat reporter. He also covered the Rangers as a backup beat writer and was the San Jose Mercury News' beat writer on the San Francisco Giants in the late 1980s.

Tim has been appearing regularly on ESPN"s "Around the Horn" since the show made its debut in November 2002. He also worked with ESPN as part of the network's "NASCAR Now" coverage in 2007-08.

Favorite Dallas restaurants: Park, Nick and Sam's, Kenichi.

Worst sports prediction: His first in college ... that Earl Campbell had no shot at the Heisman Trophy.

Best sports memories: Seeing the Dallas Stars hoist the Stanley Cup long after midnight in Buffalo, watching the Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl and Texas win the national title in perfect Rose Bowl settings.